title: Usefulness of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide as a prognostic marker of cardiac function in senile systemic amyloidosis and in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In senile systemic amyloidosis (SSA), a common age-related amyloidosis, wild-type transthyretin accumulates in tissues, with a primary result being cardiac dysfunction. Here, we aimed to clarify the usefulness of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) as a prognostic marker of cardiac function in SSA and in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied 13 patients with severe SSA and 14 patients with FAP. SSA patients, but not FAP patients, demonstrated a significant correlation of log BNP with the echocardiographic diastolic marker E/e' ratio (r = 0.78, p < 0.01). SSA patients also showed significant correlations between log BNP and log C-reactive protein or log high-sensitive troponin T (r = 0.70, p < 0.01; r = 0.64, p < 0.05). FAP patients, however, had significant correlations between log BNP and left ventricular wall thickness (intraventricular septum thickness diastole and posterior wall thickness diastole) (r = 0.73, p < 0.01; r = 0.77, p < 0.01). The mean log BNP level in the follow-up period was significantly higher than that in the diagnostic period in SSA patients (2.65 ± 0.45 versus 2.36 ± 0.40, p < 0.01) but not in FAP patients (1.91 ± 0.56 versus 1.93 ± 0.45, p = 0.87). An especially notable phenomenon was the high plasma BNP level (≥180 pg/ml) in SSA patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma BNP levels may be a useful prognostic marker of cardiac function in SSA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kumamoto Chuo Hospital , Kumamoto , Japan .
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Usuku
authors.forename: Konen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Obayashi
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shono
authors.forename: Toshinori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tasaki
authors.forename: Hisayo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Hisao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ando
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D011115:Polyneuropathies / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D011228:Prealbumin / Q000378:metabolism; D020107:Troponin T / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D011228:Prealbumin; D020107:Troponin T; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D002097:C-Reactive Protein